NEW MASS PROTESTS BY UNIONS, YOUTH GROUPS, YELLOW VESTS...

PARIS, NOVEMBER 7 /SRNA/ - French trade unions, youth organizations and the Yellow Vests movement are once again mobilizing for mass demonstrations across the country, marking the fourth consecutive weekend of protests in France.

A large police presence is also expected today. Around 70,000 police officers have been deployed on each of the previous weekends following violence and looting on the sidelines of demonstrations in recent weeks, DPA reports.

According to the Interior Ministry, there were several blockades and protest actions earlier this week, including a nationwide strike involving more than half a million people.

The CGT trade union confederation estimated that nearly 1.6 million people took part in the strike.

The protests began with demonstrations by students and pupils calling for improvements to the education system. Hundreds of thousands of people have joined them in recent weeks, with their main grievances including rising prices, low wages and inadequate social benefits.

In response to the mass protests, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced that he would meet with representatives of trade unions and employers' associations on Monday, November 9, to discuss purchasing power and wages.

The government has announced plans to increase the minimum wage. It has also pledged to create additional jobs and increase funding for schools.